Comments on: NFL finds that Saints violated “bounty rule”http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/03/02/nfl-finds-that-saints-violated-bounty-rule/
ProFootballTalk on NBCSports.comWed, 04 Mar 2015 00:30:54 +0000hourly1http://wordpress.com/By: n001363http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/03/02/nfl-finds-that-saints-violated-bounty-rule/#comment-1606736
Sun, 04 Mar 2012 05:09:39 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=334233#comment-1606736Dust off your paper bags Saints Fans! Your going down!
]]>By: 40yrpatsfanhttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/03/02/nfl-finds-that-saints-violated-bounty-rule/#comment-1605345
Sat, 03 Mar 2012 13:53:05 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=334233#comment-1605345This highlights how overblown Spygate was and how the league over-punished the Patriots. Should have been a 3rd rounder not a 1st, and lesser fines. It was more about Goodell’s outrage that NE ignored his memo.

It was proven that those tapes of defensive coach hand signals were never used during the game in progress, and if a team didn’t change their signals by the next time they played the Patriots then it’s on them. This was a tempest in a teapot, there was no competitive advantage gained that anyone has been able to explain rationally. And NE’s record is actually better in the 5 years since Spygate than before.

Now where does Goodell go with a much worse offense? Hard to punish a team more than he did to the Pats.

]]>By: max337http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/03/02/nfl-finds-that-saints-violated-bounty-rule/#comment-1605327
Sat, 03 Mar 2012 13:32:51 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=334233#comment-1605327Who dat! Love them Saints even more now… By any means necessary… :-)
]]>By: nola5712http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/03/02/nfl-finds-that-saints-violated-bounty-rule/#comment-1605079
Sat, 03 Mar 2012 05:04:47 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=334233#comment-1605079Gregg Williams is a despicable turd who will be out of the NFL shortly. ANY and ALL players, coaches, and personnel staff within the Saints organization guilty of this crap can GTFO. We built ourselves from lovable losers to contenders and I don’t care if it’s Brees himself, CUT ALL THOSE CHUMPS. We WILL be docked MULTIPLE picks and we WILL be fined, and it’s JUSTIFIED. Clean house and start over. This will take time…
]]>By: ryygguyhttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/03/02/nfl-finds-that-saints-violated-bounty-rule/#comment-1605077
Sat, 03 Mar 2012 05:02:38 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=334233#comment-1605077As a Vikings fan, I knew all along that this happened. I knew the Saints cheated in that game. It wasn’t just the Saints, the refs were rather shady as well. After the game I remember ESPN coming out and talking about the cheap hits and the biased officiating in the game. Here is just one of the videos.
It upsets me because the Vikings aren’t that great every year. We don’t have a franchise QB like the Saints did. This was thought to be our last year with Favre.

Ever since Favre threw that pass to Lewis in week 3 to put the Vikings over the 49ers I felt that there was something special about that Vikings team. They had stars all over the field. Teams struggled because they couldn’t protect both the pass and the run. Compound that with the best defensive line in football with Allen, Williams wall and Edwards. Their secondary featured probowler Winfield and Griffin. It was commented on how the Vikings had one of the best sets of corners and how they had one of the best sets of linebackers as well. With Henderson, Greeway, and Leber at linebackers, the Vikings had one of the best defensive units in all of football.

On offense it was much the same. The best running back in all of football. That along with Favre, who through 33 touchdowns to 7 intereceptions was arguably the best QB that year. They also had 2 of the best receivers and pro bowlers that year in Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin. They also had an excellent TE in Visante Shankoe. Their offensive line was shaky, but not bad.

They went into the Superdome which is the loudest stadium in football and played very good football for 4 quarters. It is extremely frustrating as a vikings fan to see an opportunity like this go to waste all because the Saints got away with cheating. I remember they were doing it the week earlier to Kurt Warner, but most likely the Cardinals would not have won their game against the Saints.

However, it took biased officiating and a bunch of cheaters and 7 turnovers and a lucky overtime coin flip (which the NFL changed the rules on) to beat the Vikings at the Superdome in OT by a field goal.

As a fan of sports, this is the worst possible scenario. The Vikings have never had a complete team like this. They never had an excellent defense, running game, and passing game. And won’t for a very long time. Not only that, but it was a moral blow as well. Why should a team that cheats get to win a super bowl? The Vikigns have a lot more roll models than the Saints. Appart from Drew Brees, most of that Saints team I could tell was corrupt.

It is extremely frusterating, because I have been saying ever since that game how the Saints had the game rigged for them and somem people would believe me, but others would mock me and call me a whiner.

Well, I “whine” about it because the truth needed to come out about this poor excuse for a football team in the Saints. These guys didn’t deserve that ring. The Vikings or Colts deserved the ring. This is just my opinion, but I would have been fairly certain that the Vikings would have won the Super Bowl if it wasn’t for getting robbed by the Saints. I mean if it took the Saints that much to beat the Vikings, the Colts would have most likely lost to them.

Its hard to be a fan of football again when your team got robbed of a super bowl by a bunch of cheaters.

]]>By: jafophxhttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/03/02/nfl-finds-that-saints-violated-bounty-rule/#comment-1605002
Sat, 03 Mar 2012 04:22:31 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=334233#comment-1605002Any sport/team or organization that creates a fund to hurt other athletes is acting criminaly and has no concern for the integrity of the sport. It is similar to hiring some to kill or hurt another human being. If the allegations are all proven true and others were aware of this activity and did nothing to stop it, then they are just as guilty. Anyone with knowledge or that participated in this activity should be ejected from the league and never be able to do anything in any sport ever, for life…period. You are responsible for your actions and there are consequences for actions that harm others, and those consequences could be financial and even invloveprison time, if there was premeditation involved in harming other athletes.
To the fans…it is a game….we pay with our hard earned money for some people to be above the law. If any of this activity occured to the normal person they would be in jail……so you decide what is right, should you continue to fund sports where the participants are targeting individuals to harm them and getting rewarded for that harm.
]]>By: lklemhttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/03/02/nfl-finds-that-saints-violated-bounty-rule/#comment-1604961
Sat, 03 Mar 2012 03:53:12 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=334233#comment-1604961I will bet that the Saints are not the first nor only team that has a bounty on the other teams. Look what they did to Favre. How they made it obvioius that they were out for blood. Just go to show you how corupt the NFL has come.
]]>By: pedagoguishhttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/03/02/nfl-finds-that-saints-violated-bounty-rule/#comment-1604936
Sat, 03 Mar 2012 03:35:24 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=334233#comment-1604936I’ve heard how many commentators today agonizing over what the NFL should do about the hit squad at the Saints. Isn’t it obvious? The New Orleans prosecuting attorney should be convening a grand jury to investigate what is clearly a felonious act. Anyone who paid for or received money for consciously injuring another person should be prosecuted, convicted, and sent to prison. These actions are not of the sport and should be outside the purview of the sport. They are an offense against society as a whole and must be vigorously prosecuted.
]]>By: megatronownsyouhttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/03/02/nfl-finds-that-saints-violated-bounty-rule/#comment-1604873
Sat, 03 Mar 2012 02:58:57 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=334233#comment-1604873In other, related news I hereby proclaim that Detroit in no longer the dirtiest team in the league
]]>By: ricksaintshttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/03/02/nfl-finds-that-saints-violated-bounty-rule/#comment-1604814
Sat, 03 Mar 2012 02:26:18 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=334233#comment-1604814If the NFL and The Comish thinks this Dosnt happen all the time they r being naive. What D Dosnt go out on the field to try to knock out the QB. Call the Saints dirty. Go ahead and fine them, take away deft picks, make suspensions. But you know what….?

Still worth it. SB 44 Champs!!!!!

]]>By: jprcoxhttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/03/02/nfl-finds-that-saints-violated-bounty-rule/#comment-1604792
Sat, 03 Mar 2012 02:14:11 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=334233#comment-1604792Money for hurting another player??? … this story seems like it should be much bigger than this. That is crazy.

Saints should get fined way more than money – they should get seriously impacted by this like an NCAA football team would. They should lose their first round draft pick for 2012.

]]>By: sfsteve1http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/03/02/nfl-finds-that-saints-violated-bounty-rule/#comment-1604790
Sat, 03 Mar 2012 02:13:13 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=334233#comment-1604790This may be a minor point but, since it is the first line of your article, are you saying that when the 49ers won the Superbowl at Stanford in 1985 they weren’t playing in their own city? What NFL city were they playing in? Just because they weren’t playing at Candlestick, you can’t say they weren’t hosting the Super Bowl
]]>By: techvethttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/03/02/nfl-finds-that-saints-violated-bounty-rule/#comment-1604788
Sat, 03 Mar 2012 02:12:39 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=334233#comment-1604788Cue the old Fram Oil Filter commercial: “You can pay me now…or pay me later.”

]]>By: sailbum7http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/03/02/nfl-finds-that-saints-violated-bounty-rule/#comment-1604740
Sat, 03 Mar 2012 01:53:24 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=334233#comment-1604740This should not surprise anyone, it has been going on in the NFL for decades. There is no doubt in my mind that this type of thing went on with the Raiders back in the 70’s. Hell, the Raiders used to teach their players leg whipping as a means to try and take players down after you had hit the dirt yourself. The only difference here is that the Saints got caught. Most of the activities they were offering bonuses for are not a problem. The only ones that are an issue are the bonuses for hurting other players. However the thruth is that if they were not getting penalty flags, then the hits must have been legal, unless you think the refs were looking the other way. This may have incentivized the players to hit a little harder, but I am not sure how that could be considered illegal by the league. I think that the idea of paying a bounty for hurting another player is reprehensible, but aren’t the players salaries in part determined by how well they play, including how hard they hit?!?! Isn’t this also incentivizing a player to hit harder?!?!

The reality is that this type of thing goes on throughout the league and there is little the league can do to stop it. They have rules regarding how and where a player can be hit to try and control things. Beyond that, they can not really control how hard a legal hit is made, so putting an end to this type of headhunting is going to be extremely difficult.

The Saints will no doubt be fined and penalized, likely with the loss of one or more draft picks. I also suspect that those involved in this practice will face suspensions from the league and probably some firings from the team as well. However, in the end this practice will continue, those involved will just be smarter about keeping it quiet going forward.

]]>By: burghmanhttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/03/02/nfl-finds-that-saints-violated-bounty-rule/#comment-1604692
Sat, 03 Mar 2012 01:36:22 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=334233#comment-1604692The only people who think this is worse than spygate are delusional Pats fans. While absolutely illegal – and (maybe) more distasteful than spygate – this didn’t give the Saints a competitive advantage.
]]>By: ogre2010http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/03/02/nfl-finds-that-saints-violated-bounty-rule/#comment-1604639
Sat, 03 Mar 2012 01:12:43 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=334233#comment-1604639Congratulations Saints, you are the new Patriots!!
]]>By: eballa1http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/03/02/nfl-finds-that-saints-violated-bounty-rule/#comment-1604626
Sat, 03 Mar 2012 01:06:49 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=334233#comment-1604626Man, remember all those fine and penalties the Saints got over the past three seasons … yeah, me neither.
]]>By: pongonflhttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/03/02/nfl-finds-that-saints-violated-bounty-rule/#comment-1604607
Sat, 03 Mar 2012 01:01:04 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=334233#comment-1604607lol
Williams told them to take cheap late hits on Farve in the NFC playoff, they did it, they didn’t get called.
The beat the old guy black and blue without ONE sack, it led to winning the game and not a single penalty called. Instead of lots of free first downs and maybe some ejections.
Now. Years later they want to penalize the team for what was broadcast on NFL network at the time?
Penalize the commissioner, penalize the officials.

Ya they are cheap players that cant get real pressure so they get cheating late hits.
Just call it. Blame your self league, they are playing the game you are allowing them to play.

Same as the Pats for their three super bowls, don’t blame them because they cant really cover receivers, so they hold them and spear them three or four times when they are down. Call it or forget it.

See Roethlisberger and James Harrison, and then see Kenny Britt and Cedric Benson.

]]>By: nolaruleshttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/03/02/nfl-finds-that-saints-violated-bounty-rule/#comment-1603815
Fri, 02 Mar 2012 22:04:57 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=334233#comment-1603815have to come and repost…..
This is all classless on the part of the saints staff to be running this. should be fined and hit with draft picks lost. but at the same time, aren’t the refs there to throw flags when illegal hits are made? Hit on pierre thomas in SF: legal. Hits on Farve in the 2009: legal. hit on warner: legal. and if any of you pillow biters actually think your team is not up to the same sort of antics, I have a few questions for you: do you believe in the tooth fairy, pots of gold at the end of a rainbow, unicorns?
]]>By: lanflfanhttp://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/03/02/nfl-finds-that-saints-violated-bounty-rule/#comment-1603810
Fri, 02 Mar 2012 22:03:11 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=334233#comment-1603810Inexcusable. Forfeiture of a 1st round pick this year, and a 3rd to 5th rounder next year, plus fines.

Not sure this is worse than Spygate.

]]>By: jolink653http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/03/02/nfl-finds-that-saints-violated-bounty-rule/#comment-1603805
Fri, 02 Mar 2012 22:02:14 +0000http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=334233#comment-1603805i’m not a saints fan but how does this taint their super bowl win? does it make them look like a bunch of scumbags? yea but they still won those games regardless of who set out to hurt who…and they can’t forfeit their draft pick this year since it now belongs to the patriots…fine them heavily and take their pick next year
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